


Black And White

by Itneveroccurredtomeatall



Series: Torchwood Bingo 2020 [2]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: F/M, Implied/Referenced Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-11
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-03-06 18:21:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,148
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26403364
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Itneveroccurredtomeatall/pseuds/Itneveroccurredtomeatall
Summary: Yvonne had to make a difficult decision and Andy just can't understand it.
Relationships: Andy Davidson/Yvonne Hartman
Series: Torchwood Bingo 2020 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1919335
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7
Collections: Torchwood Fan Fests: Bingo Fest 2020





	Black And White

**Author's Note:**

> This is for the square Black and White for Torchwood Bingo! 
> 
> Warning: mention of children dying

“Andy, open the door!”

“No, you know what, Yvonne? I don’t think I will, thanks. It’s _my_ flat and I don’t really fancy having you in it just now!” Andy glared at the door, knowing that Yvonne Hartman was just on the other side. 

“I can explain. I have a really good-” 

“And I don’t want to hear it, Yvonne. When will all the excuses stop? Seems like that’s all I get from you now. Excuse after excuse after excuse and I’m bloody sick of it!” 

“Andrew…”

“If you don’t leave now, I’ll file a restraining order,” he threatened. “Or, better yet, I’ll tell everyone what you did today.” 

“Oh, Andy, don’t be silly and say things you don’t mean.” 

“Oh, I don’t mean it? Do you think- do you think that I wouldn’t?” 

“No, I know that you wouldn’t.”

“And, pray tell, _Yvonne_ , how do you know? How do you know I won’t report you for what you did?”

There was a moment of silence. “Because I know you. And I know _us_. We’re better than this.” 

“Are we? Are we really?”

“Yes,” Yvonne replied fiercely. “We are. At least hear me out. Then you can report me, if you think it’s truly necessary. I’m willing to face the consequences for today.” 

For a moment, neither spoke. 

Then Andy sighed and wrenched open the door. “Come on in, then.”

He stepped back in surprise as Yvonne fell over the threshold. She must’ve been sitting with her back against the door before he’d opened it.

“You’re wet,” he said dumbly. He hadn’t realized it was raining.

“Well, I have been sitting outside your door for three hours in the rain,” Yvonne huffed as she pushed herself off the ground, refusing his proffered hand. “In the _Welsh_ rain and your porch’s overhang is pitifully small.”

Andy bent down to retrieve her abandoned shoes off the doorstep. She must have taken them off at some point and he couldn’t blame her. He’d never understood how anyone managed to wear heels all day, every day. Much less Yvonne who he had seen sprinting around Cardiff fighting aliens. Surely trainers would be more practical. Or flats. Or pretty much any shoe besides a heel. 

He shut the door, lined her heels neatly against the wall beside his own shoes, and passed Yvonne the towel he kept hanging on the hook just for those days when he got caught in the rain. 

“Thank you.” Yvonne took the towel and quickly dried herself off. 

“Dim problem. Now, we need to talk." He took a deep breath. "About what happened today.”

“I know,” Yvonne said. "We will." 

Together, they walked into his sitting room and settled on the couch. 

“You’re shivering,” Andy noticed. 

Yvonne said nothing and Andy sighed when he caught the slight noise of her teeth chattering. 

“I’ll make some tea, shall I? You can go have a shower. Warm up a little and then we’ll talk. Your extra clothes are still where you left them.” 

Yvonne stood. “Thank you.” 

And there it was again. Thank you. Yvonne was not in the habit of thanking people, Andy realized. She expected so much of, well, everyone and she probably always had. And people had come through for her… how could they not? And she knew they would. 

He frowned as she headed toward the bathroom. He turned away to head to the kitchen. Had she just played him again? Thanking him after she had done something so horrendous… well, it didn’t sit well with him. 

He refilled the kettle and set two mugs from the cupboard on the counter and sat at the tiny kitchen table waiting for the water to boil. 

After a couple of minutes, he heard the shower start running and a couple of minutes after that the kettle started whistling.

Andy slowly prepared the tea, retrieving Yvonne’s favorite mug from the cupboard and preparing her tea the way she liked it before working on his own. 

He had just returned to the couch with two cups of steaming tea when Yvonne reentered the sitting room. 

She took a seat beside him and took a sip of her tea. 

“What you did was wrong,” Andy said finally. “I can’t believe that you- why would you- how could you do that?” he spluttered. 

“The world isn’t black and white,” Yvonne said quietly. “And I’m sorry I did what I did. I am truly sorry. But I’d do it again,” she said firmly. Her voice was calm, even. And it only angered Andy further. 

“They were children!” Andy protested. 

“Yes, they were.” Her voice wavered ever so slightly before she reined it in again. “And I did my duty.” 

“Duty? Duty?” Andy hissed. He set his mug down on the coffee table none too gently. “Who gave you this duty, Yvonne? What sort of ‘duty’ requires you to _sacrifice children_?” 

“Had I not… done what I did, we would all be dead.” 

“You can’t even say it!” Andy said. “You can’t even admit that you sent those kids to their deaths!” 

“And I am hardly the first to do so,” Yvonne retorted angrily. “If you’ll recall, the government was willing to send 10% of the children to the 456! And do you know how Jack solved that?” 

Andy knew, but said nothing. 

“Even Jack, Cardiff’s “dashing hero,” has killed children,” Yvonne said. “And, had he not, the government would’ve sent many more to a fate worse than death. What I did was no different than what Jack or the government have done.” 

“Yes, but I have never trusted the government! I have never loved the government!” 

Yvonne snorted. “You could have fooled me. Look at yourself, Andy! You’re on the force! You enforce the government’s laws. That is in your job description. It’s just who you are. You follow orders from up on high. Once in a while, you question them. Once in a lifetime, you disobey them. I don’t have anyone giving me orders. I give the orders. I have a responsibility - a duty - to do what’s best for this country. Even when it’s hard. Even when I don’t want to do it, I have to. There are things I have to do. For all of us. Because, if I don’t do them, no one else will.” 

Andy met her eyes. “I would never do what you did today.” 

“I did it so no one else had to. So you didn't have to. I’m sorry you can’t understand that,” Yvonne said and then she stood up. “Thank you for the tea and the shower, but I think we’re done here.” 

She had made her way to the door, slipped on her shoes, and shut the door behind her before Andy was able to move from the couch. 

He slowly cleared away their mugs and tried to think of anything besides Yvonne Hartman.


End file.
